Sounds Abound brings wedding quests to their feet

From aluminum siding salesman to professional disc jockey, Ken Overbey has turned a part-time job and hobby into a $1 million-a-year business.

In 1995 he walked away from his salary, benefits and an expense account to devote full time to his disc jockey company, Sounds Abound Inc.

"It's the greatest thing I ever did," Overbey said.

As a young man, the 54-year-old Naperville resident was a singer and musician with numerous bands, but his rock 'n' roll dreams were never realized. He eventually moved on, but his love of music never did.

"There was something missing in my life," Overbey said. "I always wanted to make my living with music, and it just took starting this business to be able to do that."

Newlyweds Roy and Hope Barrett chose Sounds Abound after receiving a referral from their reception hall in Lisle. The DJ service exceeded their expectations.

"They took the time and effort to find out what we like," Hope Barrett said. "They really went above and beyond."

When the couple was trying to decide how they would handle introductions at their Sept. 14 reception, they paid a visit to the Sounds Abound office. Overbey put on some music and gave a short mock speech, and the Barretts were sold.

"He had only met us a few times and he remembered our names and our parents' names," Hope Barrett said.

In recent years, Sounds Abound, now with four full-time employees and 24 disc jockeys on call, has shown consistent sales growth. The business brought in $710,000 in 2005, $800,000 in 2006, and Overbey is expecting sales to exceed $1 million this year.

He credits his success to providing the best customer service possible.

The company tries to capture this commitment to customer service in its advertising slogan -- "The Chicken Dance. If you love it, we love it. If you hate it, we hate it."

Overbey and his employees hear cheesy tunes like "The Chicken Dance," "Cha Cha Slide" and "Y.M.C.A." much more than the average person. But that doesn't mean they get sick of hearing them.

"I don't get in my car and blast 'Y.M.C.A,'" said Danny Diebold, entertainment director for Sounds Abound, "but I know at the job -- it's not what I want to hear, it's what they want to hear. You may have heard some of the songs a thousand times, but when you look out there and see the reaction of people enjoying it and having a good time, it doesn't matter."

Sounds Abound started in 1990 when Overbey decided to put his performance skills to work as a part-time DJ.

He started with a Fourth of July block party and was soon doing sporadic church events and weddings. Within five years, Overbey said, the side job was starting to interfere with his day job as a salesman for an aluminum and vinyl siding company.

"My boss at the time called me in and said 'you're not quite meeting your numbers -- what are we going to do about this,'" Overbey said.

Faced with a major dilemma, Overbey followed his heart. He and his wife JoAnn decided to make Sounds Abound a full-time venture.

"I could see that if I put full-time effort into this business, I could make it grow," Overbey said.

After running the service out of their home for the first few years, the Overbeys made a substantial leap forward in 1998 when they moved into a cramped office in a building occupied by a photography service, a florist, a travel agent and a tuxedo shop.

"Our sales went up 40 percent in one year because we were more visible and we were with the other wedding vendors," Overbey said.

The business quickly outgrew the small office, and two years later the Overbeys moved Sounds Abound to a larger space just a few doors away on Ogden Avenue.

He says it's now one of the largest DJ services in the Chicago area.

Diebold, the entertainment director, has to work almost every weekend during the summer, but, he said, "I look at it as though I'm getting paid to have a good time. Everybody's in a great mood, it's a great atmosphere and a wonderful working environment, so the trade-off is worth it to me."

The company's Web site helps to enhance service.

Customers can choose a disc jockey by viewing videos and profiles of each performer. And once they book Sounds Abound, clients gain access to an online planner that allows them to choose songs for specific events, upload bridal party information and designate must-plays and do-not-plays.

"Our customers love it because most brides do their planning either at night or they do it from work," Overbey said.

Although wedding season -- May to October -- is coming to a close, Overbey said, the phones ring year-round. The business constantly deals with wedding bookings, and also takes on corporate gigs and other special events.

Overbey said Sounds Abound does about 800 events a year, with weddings accounting for 90 percent of their business.

While managing the company, Overbey still makes time for DJing himself. "The running of the business, the sales and marketing -- that's the work," Overbey said. "When you actually go out on a show -- that's the fun part. That's when you get to make people happy."

Business profile

Business: Sounds Abound Inc., d/b/a Sounds Abound Entertainment

Operations: Disk jockey service for weddings and special events

Owners: Ken and JoAnn Overbey

Location: Naperville

Web site: www.soundsabound.com

2007 Revenue: Estimated at more than $1 million

Number of events per year: 800

Employees: Four full-time, 24 disc jockeys